Kegashka, Quebec
| Kegashka | |
|---|---|
| Unconstituted locality | |
  Kegashka | |
| Coordinates: 50°11′01″N 61°16′21″W / 50.18361°N 61.27250°WCoordinates: 50°11′01″N 61°16′21″W / 50.18361°N 61.27250°W[1] | |
| Country |
 Canada |
| Province |
 Quebec |
| Region | Côte-Nord |
| RCM | Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent |
| Municipality | Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent |
| Government | |
| • Federal riding | Manicouagan |
| • Prov. riding | Duplessis |
| Area[2] | |
| • Land | 4.10 km2 (1.58 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 138 |
| • Density | 33.7/km2 (87/sq mi) |
| • Change (2006–11) |
 1.5% |
| • Dwellings | 68 |
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) |
| Postal code(s) | G0G 1S0 |
| Area code(s) | 418 and 581 |
Kegashka is an unconstituted locality (as defined by Statistics Canada in the Canada 2011 Census) within the municipality of Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. Its population in the 2011 census was 138. Its name is also spelled Kégashka and Kegaska (the latter is preferred by the Commission de toponymie du Québec).
Kegaska is the westernmost community in Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent municipality, with a population of mostly anglophone settlers from Anticosti Island. Its name derives from the Innu word quegasca, first recorded on Franquelin's map of 1685.[3][1]
In 1831, Kegaska was the site of a Hudson's Bay Company trading post, but the actual settlement was formed in 1852 when Acadian settlers came from the Magdalen Islands. They abandoned the place in 1871-1873 to settle at Betchewun (now Betchouane between Havre-Saint-Pierre and Baie-Johan-Beetz) and were replaced by Newfoundland fishermen, almost all of Irish origin. They in turn left around 1887-1888, leaving the place completely deserted by 1890. Yet in 1898, a few families relocated from Perth, Ontario, whose descendants now populate the area.[3][1]